Some Small Way
by CassiLynn
Summary: Sometimes all you need is comfort.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and thank god for that, I'd make each character too sarcastic for their own good. I also don't own the song I took a couple lyrics from.**

_You sit completely unaware about what I'm about to do._

I watch from afar every day, I'm unsure what she thinks of me, I'm quite rude to her most of the time. We have a rather strange relationship, constantly fighting, but I do kind of like her. I like how the sun hits her dark brown wavy hair turning it to a color close to the mulch she works in almost every day. I wonder if her being a daughter of Demeter makes it that way, I chuckle at the thought. She's smiling, surrounded by her half-sisters and brothers, a couple placing a hastily made daisy link wreath on her head. That perfect little head.

She smiles as two of the children sit on her lap, covered by light washed cuffed denim shorts. The sun reflects off her lightly tanned dimples. _Come on Stoll stop being a wuss_, I think to myself as I emerge from my hiding spot. I slowly walk up the grassy hill, not trying to seem overexcited to see her.

"Travis Stoll?" Her forehead wrinkles in surprise as I approach her, "And to what do I owe this visit to?" she giggles her soft, sweet giggle.

"Can't a guy talk to a girl?" I scratch the back of my head and put both hands in the pockets of my canvas shorts.

"Katie, can I braid your hair?" One of her small companions stares up at her.

"Of course Carrie," She answers before turning to me, "Well a girl usually doesn't expect a talk from a guy who constantly antagonizes her." Katie retorts.

"Gods, you're a difficult one, Gardner." I chuckle staring at my feet.

"Not the pansy you expected me to be?" She looks up at me.

"No, not at all." I try to quickly reprimand.

"I see the girls you go out with, Travis. They are quite the easy picking, but I'm not, I take work, I'm no flower."

"Are you thinking I'm trying to ask you out?" My forehead wrinkles.

"Well I heard it through the grapevine." She sighs.

"Why do you always do this to me, why can't you play nice?" I huff in impatience.

"Why don't you guys go find Jenny or someone for a bit," She says to the children, who quickly leave, "I will tell you why Stoll, like I said, I'm no pansy, I'm not soft and open."

"Continue then… little rose."

"How am I a rose?" She laughs as I settle next to her.

"You prick me if I get to close… Venus Fly Trap can work to." I reply.

"It's great that you compare to my flowers that love to wound people." She shakes her head looking straight ahead.

"Well the rose doesn't mean it; it's just that its beauty sort overcomes the unaware and it just happens to have its thorns out, like protection." I look at her, _yeah that perfectly describes her._

"Are you trying to flirt with me Stoll?" She turns to me.

_Yes_, "No of course not." I stare at her perplexed.

"So where does the Venus Fly Trap come into the equation?" Katie looks at me quickly before leaning back on her arms admiring the coming sunset.

"Let's disregard that." I chuckle.

"Disregard… big word Stoll, I'm happy for you." She smirks.

"Now tell me, what's your thorn?" I turn close to her.

"Reword, and take away the poetry crap, I miss the stupid Travis."

"Okay, why do you act the way you do?"

She sighed, "My experience coming to camp wasn't quite like yours."

"Tell me then."

"It's painful for me; in short, I lost my older brother in the process."

"I'm sorry, but I still don't understand."

"My father met Demeter after a divorce with his first wife, they divorced of course, but had a son. Matt was my human protector, when the kids at school would make fun of me because of dyslexia, he'd stand up for me. If anyone punched me, he punched back. He was three years my elder. One day the monster came along… and he threw himself in front of it before it got to me. He could see through the mist, you know. Well the monster," a tear wells up, I put my arm around her, she bundles herself in, "it got him quickly." She burst into tears.

Not sure what exactly to do, Travis Stoll put his arm around Katie Gardner, trying to comfort her in some small way.

**A/N: Before someone tells me that I shouldn't have switched tenses, it's supposed to be like that, to draw emphasis. Yes I know this differs from some of my other Tratie stories, but just roll with it, I don't really stick to anything when it comes to these two. **


End file.
